About Us

The Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research is a
research and analysis organization created to fill various information
gaps about marijuana issues. The Institute is a local, regional, state
and
national resource. It conducts, analyzes and disseminates research and
provides expertise to policy makers, health care and medical
professionals, businesses and the media, among others. An information
clearinghouse, the Institute promotes rigorous and scholarly scientific
study of marijuana issues. The Institute's purpose is analysis, not
advocacy. It takes no position, for example, on legalization or
decriminalization. Likewise, it offers no classes or training programs.
Humboldt State University is a logical home for the Institute because
of
our interdisciplinary expertise in the environment and natural
resources.
The marijuana industry has a major impact in these areas, as well as on
the region's economy and social fabric. As laws about and perceptions
of
marijuana issues evolve, the Institute will share information,
contribute
research to public policy debates and help broaden community and
national
understanding.

Objectives

The Institute’s objectives are to:

Create a high-profile Institute within Humboldt State
University for the purpose of providing marijuana policy analysis;

Encourage scholarly and policy collaborations with
researchers from other institutions;

Serve as a clearinghouse of marijuana related research.

In order to accomplish these objectives, the Institute will engage in
the following activities:

Collect, analyze and disseminate data to the public and to
policymakers;

Collaborate with other institutions and agencies to support
and enhance existing as well as ongoing projects and goals;

Submit proposals for internal and external research
funding; and

Preserve and archive data through the HSU Library Special
Collections Unit.

Research goals focus on data collection and assessment methods that can
be used to enhance knowledge available to communities, researchers,
educators, and others in better understanding the past, present, and
potential future role of marijuana at it relates to the regional
economy, workforce development, health, environment, and community
relations.

Faculty Member Research Interests

Frank Cappuccio (Chemistry): determining pesticide and
toxin prevalence in marijuana and at production sites.

Erick
Eschker (Economics): measuring the size
and impact of marijuana production on the local economy and the
economic impacts of possible legalization of marijuana production and
consumption.

Gregg Gold (Psychology): determining how attitudes and
behaviors change based on an individual’s perceptions of the social
atmosphere regarding marijuana, and how marijuana use affects health
outcomes.

Anthony Silvaggio (Sociology): determining the ecological
and public
health impacts of marijuana production on rural communities and
identifying the nature of environmental crimes
committed by the industry, impacts on public and private lands, and how
law enforcement, public health officials, and policy makers respond.

Beth Wilson (Economics): estimating the
production function of the marijuana industry and the size (in terms of
sales) of the industry in Humboldt County, so that IMPLAN can be used
to measure the economic impact on Humboldt County from possible
legalization.

Associate Member Research Interests

Dominic Corva (Geography, The Center for the Study of Cannabis and Social Policy): Documenting history of drug
policy, understanding social movements and human geography.

Amanda Reiman (Policy manager at California Drug Policy
Alliance): evaluating models of cannabis
regulation, measuring cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other
drugs and as a treatment for addiction, and studying medical cannabis,
dispensaries, and holistic health.

Craig Reinarman (Sociology, University of California at Santa Cruz):
understand cross cultural comparative analysis of cannabis use patterns
and theories of addiction, drug law and policy.

Community Member Research Interests

Edie Butler: long
term
preservation and archiving of local research on marijuana and
identifying and filling gaps in the record of the marijuana
phenomena in northwest California.